Behind the Veil
by Tinntinabulations
Summary: Fem!UK and America - "It does not annoy you? Having your privacy robbed by the bored masses?" Alice spun around to face her long time friend. "Everyone needs someone they admire, even you and I," - Alice's model life seems rather bleak, a lack of privacy and an ex who won't respect her need to never see him again. She needs someone to admire, a budding musician, Alfred Jones.


A heavily overcast day in London and though sunny skies were predicted for the day not a single Londoner was fooled, and black umbrellas danced along the streets, reflected in the large puddles accumulating on the pavement; The lights of passing cars glittering in the rain. Francoise Bonnefoy gazed down from the upper floor window to the dim path beneath, though London held a special place in her heart, she longed for the comfort of Paris and the warmth of Toulouse.

"But don't you think it's amusing? That you finally achieved model stardom and broke through the confines of ambiguity, yet you have to hide for fear of… suffocation?" Francoise chuckled lightly from her position on Alice's thick duvet, her light hair cascading on the tapestry-patterned throw at the end of the bed as she fell back.

Alice barely even glanced up from her own reflection, her face pouted and contorted as she applied another layer of foundation, one must be camera ready at all times, her own personal mantra.

"Hmm, not really," She hummed as she lifted her chin to check for smudge lines, then continued to reach for a brush and dust her face with a light powder.

"Oh?" Francoise was feeling rather irritating today, and the main subject of her warped affection was Alice Kirkland.

"It does not annoy you? Having your privacy robbed by the obsessed masses?"

Alice sighed and dropped the brush on her desk before spinning around to face her long time friend, her model-esque pout fixed almost permanently on her face. Her colleague merely smirked in return and tilted her head as an invitation to continue.

She shrugged gently,

"Everyone needs someone they admire, even you and I," Francoise snorted and rolled off the bed, swaying her hips as she padded across the luxurious cream carpet and placed herself gently, yet somehow dramatically, next to Alice on the generous velvet covered stool. Hands arranged tenderly on the smaller blondes shoulders, she began to carefully massage them meanwhile cooing in her ear.

"Who do you admire then?" Alice smiled at her friend.

"Why you, of course," Her smile curled at the edges as she stifled a laugh.

"Oh Mon Cheri, you are such a hopeless romantic, is that why you dress up? To meet you prince charming and hide your true identity to allow true love to blossom freely?" Francoise removed both hands and placed them on the freshly made up face of her English friend. Alice frowned and swatted her hands away like a swarm of nats.

"It has absolutely nothing to do with that and you know it! I don't need another bloody relationship to blow up in my face, thank you very much!" The French girl looked down with a slightly guilty look upon her face.

Both fell silent for a moment, the long-haired blonde moved her recently straightened hair to one shoulder and with the other leaned lavishly against her friend, saying nothing as the elders hands ran through her long locks.

"You know…" The French girl broached an evidently touchy subject, and receiving no further objection continued, "Ludwig inquired after you the other day?" Françoise's face contorted as she waited for a slap or to be screamed at for uttering the aforementioned name.

"Really?" Alice didn't move, her body tense but her tone disbelieving, Francoise nodded hurriedly in reply.

"Oui, oui, oh.. I mean yes! He asked how you were and if maybe you would still model for them?" Alice sat up and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Let me get this straight, he wants to know if I'll let them use my body to advertise their products, meanwhile I get to see him flouncing around the studio with his little Italian whore!" Alice had run out of breath mid rant and took a very deep one to calm herself.

"She's very nice Alice, really, insults are not becoming of you," Alice stormed across the room after shoving Francoise on the floor with an unceremonious thud.

"You Bitch! You're meant to be my friend," She flopped on her spacious King sized bed and proceeded to yell into her duck feather pillows.

Her shoulders shook with laughter though, she peeked up as she felt movement on the bed and grinned at her friend who was crawling seductively across her comforter. Francoise landed right next to her, their eyes meeting each other across the pillows.

"She's thick as shit though," Alice burst into peels of laughter, a tear of mirth tracking down her cheek.

"Oh my, really?" Francoise nodded in reply which elicited more gleeful laughter, "I did always think he resented the fact that I was educated, probably reckoned that dating one of his brothers models would mean a quiet idiotic little sex toy," Francoise raised her brows and turned over, adjusting herself to a more comfortable position where she wasn't crushing her own arm.

"How is Gilbert doing?" The French girl wasn't sure how to react; this whole conversation was the first time Alice had talked about her and the younger Beilschmidts breakup since it occurred over two months ago.

"He's fine, getting on the new collection with a little help from moi," Alice eyes appeared glazed, as though she was not really paying attention, but she nodded nonetheless and shifted over as well.

"Nice of him to let you pitch in with your own brand, right? Never thought that selfish bastard would have melted like warm Nutella to your icy claws," Francoise shrieked with a smile and wacked the younger girls arm.

"I'm his wife, his beloved, he has to," Alice breathed in deeply through her nose, Francoise paused as she worried she may have taken it too far.

"Wow, that was gushy even for you, and you called me romantic?" Both smiled but Francoise pushed on with the subject.

"But truly, Gilbert misses having you around I believe," She pursed her lips, "He was so very mad at Ludwig, brothers should not fight like that," her head shook from side to side softly and faced a snort of incredulity.

"My brothers did all the time and they're… moderately stable human beings, He'll be fine," Alice fiddled with the simple silver band on her finger that she refused to take off.

"Well, anyway, It's not like you'd definitely see him, he's not often around," She received withering look in return but simply continued, "You still did that work for Feliks, you can't argue distance to me because that was St. Petersburg,"

"Hmm," Alice hummed and stood from the bed, her hand running through her fringe as she thought.

"I'll think about it," Francoise yelped in joy and jumped up to embrace her friend.

"I said THINK, don't get too excited," Francoise knew she had won in reality and wrapped an arm lovingly around Alice's shoulder.

"Of course, of course, you are within your right to refuse," She began to lead her friend out of the room; she had a craving for something sweet, and wine. Alice had a very nice wine cellar, or was that at Ludwig's? She hoped not.

"Oh, I just remembered, Antonio and Alfonso will be there too, you lot get along," Alice rolled her eyes and offered no reply. She did indeed get along with the two Spanish brothers, it was Antonio's mouthy boyfriend whom she often fell out with, though occasionally got on swimmingly with depending on both their moods. Though that situation was now thoroughly awkward, what with his sister…

"I think I need a drink," Alice stated as they walked through her brightly lit hall, Francoise grinned back.

"My sentiment exactly, now," she clasped her hands together and sighed happily.

"Where is that lovely cellar of yours?"

* * *

Not my best, the story should get more interesting.

I never find enough Fem!UK and America so I though, why not?

With a little exGermany thrown in, no idea how long this will go on but Alfred will be in the next chapter.

Let me know what you think.


End file.
